How This Trade Impacts Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns suffered a major blow in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks when backup big man Dario Saric injured his knee. He is expected to miss the entirety of the 2021-22 season as a result.
Replacing him isn’t an easy task, as he was a versatile player that provided minutes at power forward and center. The team re-signed Frank Kaminsky and brought in JaVale McGee to help fill the void and they have done an admirable job.
Jalen Smith, the team’s lottery pick in 2020, was someone they had hoped could help fill in, but has proven to not yet be ready for a bigger role. He has appeared in only two games this season and looks like he will be outside the rotation again unless injuries begin to mount.
If the Suns aren’t going to use him in the rotation, they could look to shop him for a player they will, such as Davis Bertans. Bertans is experiencing a lineup crunch of his own, playing only 16.9 minutes per game. That is without Rui Hachimura even being in the lineup, as Bertans has been supplanted by Kyle Kuzma as the team’s starting power forward.
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Bertans is a bit of a one-trick pony as a 3-point specialist, but he does that skill very well. He is a 40.6 percent 3-point shooter in his career and in the last two seasons with the Washington Wizards he has done it on very high volume.
Adding someone like that to the roster will give Monty Williams a different look in his frontcourt as none of the Suns’ current big men shoot the ball too well from the perimeter.
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Getting the future second-round picks back as well is nice, as Bertans was overpaid a bit by Washington.
